A Gift To Us From 111 Years Ago

Opinion

When Osceola County's historic courthouse reopens next month, residents will have a picture-perfect facility to complement the new courthouse and administration buildings.

The restoration of the courthouse puts the finishing touches on an oak-studded county-government complex now called Courthouse Square.

There's plenty to be proud of, including a renovated administration building, the new courthouse and the state's first county-owned and -operated child-development center, housed in what used to be the human resources department.

But it's the historic courthouse that catches the eye of visitors.

The three-story Romanesque Revival courthouse has served the county for more than a century, earning its listing on the National Register of Historic Places. County leaders dedicated it May 6, 1890, and have used it ever since. Voters approved 20-year bonds to raise the $30,000 needed to build the courthouse.

That makes it the state's oldest courthouse still in use for the purpose it was built. Only Clay County has an older courthouse, but that one in Green Cove Springs is now a museum.

The renovated courthouse still has a courtroom on the third floor, though it remains to be seen how much use it will get with a new state-of-the-art facility across the street. The rest of the facility will house various county offices.

Workers and visitors will find a building that looks much like it did when it was originally dedicated. The brickwork and trim look new -- thanks to fresh stain and paint. The original window glass has been placed in new frames, and there are new doors everywhere. A staircase was put back on the south side of the building, where it once connected to a 1960s-era annex that was torn down.

Inside and out, there are lights that look like they were cast at a foundry at the turn of the century.

There are some concessions to modern times -- including a fire escape from the third floor courtroom that was needed to bring the building up to code. The fire escape is hardly noticeable because it's painted to match the locally produced bricks that make up the structure.

Residents should be proud of the facility. The entire complex gives the county room to grow for years. That's important in a county that's booming the way Osceola has been in recent years.

All-in-all, the work on the old courthouse helps blend the pieces of the new campus into a stunning ensemble -- something that should serve Osceola residents for generations to come.